Friday, February 24, 2012

Even though weekdays can feel like one big rush, rush, rush of one to the next, coming together in the evenings for Family Night is one way for parents and kids to relax, reconnect, share some laughs and more. Whether your activity of choice is a movie, a board game or more, as long as everyone is together and happy, that's all that matters, right?

Around here, the girls are still on the young side for Game Night (and sometimes it can be hard to pick a game that is understandable for preschoolers yet not boring for adults), and Movie Night works mainly because their short attention spans are held in place by the bowl of popcorn in their laps.

But Music Night? Oh yes, we can all get in on that one.

Although winter might seem dark and cold, that just means that inside it's time to gather the family and spend some fun and cozy nights indoors... particularly by grabbing a Coca-Cola and celebrating the new season of American Idol!

This year, as a sponsor of Season 11 of American Idol, Coca-Cola is looking to spice up the colder months with the Coca-Cola Family Night initiative on MyCokeRewards.com. At MCR.com/family, you can find exciting contests, instant wins, rewards, recipes and games—with many fun American Idol based activities for your family.

You can even work together to try to design the best music cover artwork and win a trip for four to see the American Idol Finale show live! Who knows? You just might be sharing your own Coca-Cola with Ryan Seacrest...

When it comes to spending family time together, the combination of music, food, drinks and fun is one that just can't be beat. We love to get in on the action by watching the American Idol contestants sing, while also infusing a little of our own personal touches.

After all, Family Music Night wouldn't be the same without a little singing and dancing done by our two favorite stars, now would it?

(If you're reading this in your email, come over to the post to see the video!)

To help kick-off our Family Night, Coca-Cola sent us a box of goodies inspired by American Idol and the Fun for Family Night games on MCR.com... and we have been putting it to good use (as demonstrated by the video above)!

If you've been looking for a handheld camcorder, the Samsung W190 is a fantastic option and I've really been enjoying it! This Pocket HD Camcorder includes a 4GB microSD card for easy storage and the all-weather design is resistant to all of the elements (meaning it is water-, shock- and dust-proof).

I love that this portable camcorder can go nearly anywhere and capture all of your video and still shots with ease. When it comes time to save and share your memories, the One-Touch Sharing lets you instantly send stills and videos to friends and family and you can upload shots via pop-out USB to your PC, email or social media sites. So easy and convenient!

Is your family ready to have a Family Night? Head over to My Coke Rewards to get in on the fun and activities and, thanks to the generosity of Coca-Cola, one person will be able to record their home entertainment as well, because...

To enter to win: Leave a comment on this post telling me how you would like to spend your next Family Night.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).2 Extra Entries if you enter the Family Night Giveaway on The Life of Rylie... & Bryce, too!1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow My Coke Rewards on Twitter and/or Like it on Facebook.1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

1 Extra Entry (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.2 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.Giveaway will end on March 16th at 11:59pm CST. By entering this sweepstakes, you are agreeing to these official rules. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited by law. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning and the giveaway sponsor is solely responsible for prize fulfillment. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and entrants must be 18 years of age or older.

A big thank you to Coca-Cola for providing these prizes for me as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. Coca-Cola is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this giveaway. The opinions shared are my own and honest (and not those of Coca-Cola) and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.